Continuing Education

Workforce Development
& Continuing Education

WPCC offers a variety of classes for professional training along with personal advancement and enjoyment both in seated classes and online through ed2go. These classes are designed to accommodate busy lifestyles and provide opportunities to quickly get skills or explore interests.

Upcoming courses are listed in our slideshow. Click or tap on a slide for a class description or to register.

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Current Class Schedule

Here are the classes scheduled for the current month at WPCC. You can see future class offerings by clicking either the Next button to move to the next month or by choosing a month and date and hitting the Go button.

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The Western Front was the main theater of war during World War I. Following the outbreak of war in August 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne. Following the race to the sea, both sides dug in along a meandering line of fortified trenches, stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier with France. This line remained essentially unchanged for most of the war. Instructor: Randal Garrison

The Battle of Jutland is considered to be the only major naval battle of World War One. Jutland witnessed the British Navy losing more men and ships, but the verdict of the Battle of Jutland was that the German Navy lost and was never in a position again to put to sea during the war. Admiral John Jellicoe’s tactics were attacked by some, but after the battle the British Navy remained a powerful fighting force whereas the German High Seas fleet was not. Involving some 250 ships and 100,000 men, this battle off Denmark’s North Sea coast was the only major naval surface engagement of World War I. The battle began in the afternoon of May 31, 1916, with gunfire between the German and British scouting forces. Instructor: Randal Garrison

“A day that will live in infamy”, examined in detail…what led up to the Japanese attack and why the fleet anchorage was largely undefended and vulnerable, especially after the lessons learned by the British attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto. What ships were there plus the aftermath. Instructor: Randal Garrison

This seminar discusses the pursuit and sinking of that famous German ship, details of the battle, plus information taken from the exploration of the wreck on the Atlantic sea floor.” Instructor: Randal Garrison

Six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States defeated Japan in one of the most decisive naval battles of World War II. Thanks in part to major advances in code breaking, the United States was able to preempt and counter Japan’s planned ambush of its few remaining aircraft carriers, inflicting permanent damage on the Japanese Navy. An important turning point in the Pacific campaign, the victory allowed the United States and its allies to move into an offensive position. Instructor: Randal Garrison

The World War II Battle of Guadalcanal was the first major offensive and a decisive victory for the Allies in the Pacific theater. With Japanese troops stationed in this Class Section Number of the Solomon Islands, U.S. marines launched a surprise attack in August 1942 and took control of an air base under construction. Reinforcements were funneled to the island as a series of land and sea clashes unfolded, and both sides endured heavy losses to their warship contingents. However, the Japanese suffered a far greater toll of casualties, forcing their withdrawal from Guadalcanal by February 1943. Instructor: Randal Garrison

Although the British were successful in most conventional battles, the fighting in the South, under the leadership of Generals Nathanael Greene and Daniel Morgan, turned toward guerrilla and hit-and-run warfare. Moreover, the British had overestimated loyalist sentiment in the South; their presence actually forced many, who had been sitting out the war, to take sides, most in favor of the Patriots. At the same time, the British underestimated the logistical problems they would encounter, especially when their army was in the interior away from the supplies offered by their fleet. Patriot forces, on the other hand, were supplied and could hide among the local population. As a result, the British southern strategy was a dismal failure. Instructor: Randal Garrison

The Battle of King's Mountain took place on Saturday, October 07, 1780. The battlefield on which the British and American Forces fought during the Battle of King's Mountain was located in Near Blackburn, South Carolina and King's Mountain, North Carolina. The Battle of King's Mountain ended in victory for the American colonists. At the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina on January 17, 1781, during the Revolutionary War (1775-83), American troops under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan (1736-1802) routed British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton (1754-1833). The Americans inflicted heavy casualties on the British, and the battle was a turning point in the war’s Southern campaign.
April 10/2017 (class meeting) and April 15 Tour Meet HEC 211 – 8 am – 4:30 with 1 hour lunch break students supply all personal needs and food Fee $51.20Instructor: Randal Garrison

It was just 100 miles from Washington D.C. to the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia, but the trip took many twists and turns and four long years. The Eastern Theater of the American Civil War ran from southern Pennsylvania to Virginia’s North Carolina border and from Chesapeake Bay to the mountains west of the Shenandoah Valley. It included the first big battle at Bull Run, the deadliest single day at Antietam, and the greatest battle of the war at Gettysburg.
There were other theaters and armies, and some of the most decisive blows of the war were elsewhere. But to many the heart and soul of the Civil War was the contest between the Union Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Instructor: Randal Garrison

Perhaps more than any other Civil War site, Gettysburg has spawned a number of “What If” scenarios that are discussed, sometimes with heated arguments. This seminar will examine the battle and 7 “What If” possibilities. Instructor: Randal Garrison

The last major battle of the Civil War and the largest on North Carolina soil, Bentonville and Averasboro occupy important places in the history of the conflict. While Slocum's advance was stalled at Averasboro by Hardee's troops, the right wing of Sherman's army under command of Maj. Gen. O.O. Howard marched toward Goldsboro. On March 19, Slocum encountered the entrenched Confederates of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston who had concentrated to meet his advance at Bentonville.
May 15 (class) and May 20 (Tour) HEC 211 6 – 8:30 pm - Tour Meet HEC 211 – 8 am – 4:30 with 1 hour lunch break students supply all personal needs and food Fee $51.20.

Participants will learn about the civil war in the classroom and through field trips to several battlefields. Attendees will receive 12 classroom hours of expert instruction concerning the battle sites and campaigns that will be visited in the respective tours. Class sessions will include complete chronological tours of each site visited that will be led by a skilled and knowledgeable guide. Total tour time in each course is 38 hours and all aspects of each battle will be covered including walks and exploration of the sites. Questions are welcome in this small-tour format. Because twilight is an ideal time for the field visits, tours will include evening stops when conditions permit. Ghost stops may also occur! The Civil War tours provide a terrific opportunity to enjoy the class experience with others who are passionate about history.

“Battlefields of Gettysburg & Sharpsburg – Tour 1” is offered June 12 through June 26 with tour dates of June 21 through June 25 when Gettysburg/Sharpsburg and the surrounding area will be visited. Class sessions are June 12, 15, 19, 20, and 26 in room 211 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Foothills Higher Education Center (FHEC), 2128 South Sterling Street. Attendance is mandatory for the first class session on Tuesday, June 12. Cost for the course is $161.20 and includes course, gas and insurance. Class size is limited to 7 to 9 passengers. Registration deadline is Tuesday, June 11 for this course section # 50785.

The experiences of participating in an archeological dig are also available to teachers, students and the general public through WPCC’s Division of Continuing Education. Enrollment and participation in the Archaeology Field School through continuing education allows you to receive 4.8 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) which can count towards professional development and certification requirements. You are also welcome to participate in the Field School

For more information about the continuing education class, please contact Karen Huffman at (828) 448-6037 or by email. You can also register for the continuing education class directly online by clicking the button below. Here is information you will need to complete your registration.

Mandatory Meeting

Both the HUM 120 (college credit) and the continuing education sections of the Field School will be held June 19 through June 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Berry site, which is located on Henderson Mill Road in Burke County [map]. There is a mandatory orientation session for both classes on June 15 at 7:00 p.m. in Carr Hall, Room 112 on the WPCC Main Campus.

The class meets outdoors, so a hat, sunscreen, and plenty of water is recommended for all participants.

Participants will learn about the civil war in the classroom and through field trips to several battlefields. Attendees will receive 12 classroom hours of expert instruction concerning the battle sites and campaigns that will be visited in the respective tours. Class sessions will include complete chronological tours of each site visited that will be led by a skilled and knowledgeable guide. Total tour time in each course is 38 hours and all aspects of each battle will be covered including walks and exploration of the sites. Questions are welcome in this small-tour format. Because twilight is an ideal time for the field visits, tours will include evening stops when conditions permit. Ghost stops may also occur! The Civil War tours provide a terrific opportunity to enjoy the class experience with others who are passionate about history.

“Battlefields of Manassas I & II – Tour 2” is offered June 29 through July 17 with tour dates of July 12 through July 16. Class sessions are June 29, July 06, 10, 11, and 17 in FHEC room 211 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Foothills Higher Education Center 2128 S. Sterling St. Morganton, NC 28655. Attendance is mandatory for the first class session on Thursday, June 29. Cost for the course is $161.20 and includes course, gas and insurance. Class size is limited to 7 to 9 passengers. Registration deadline is Thursday, June 6 for this course section # 50786.

To learn more about the tours, please contact Eddie McGimsey at (828) 448-6719. To register online visit our Civil War Tours page. The registration personnel can be reached at (828) 448-6722 with offices located on the WPCC main campus at 1001 Burkemont Avenue in Hildebrand Hall, room 102.

Our Locations

Western Piedmont Community College offers Continuing Education classes on the Main Campus (left pin on the map) and at the Foothills Higher Education Center (right pin on the map). Select a pin to get address and general contact information about each location.